Last Sacrifice
by ilistentomymuse
Summary: Basically, my version of Richelle Mead's conclusion to the Vampire Academy series. I hope you enjoy. I could give you more of a summary, but I figure that'd give away the rest of the story. More Summary after SB has been out a while.
1. Chapter 1

**This has kind of been my baby for that last few days, since I finished Spirit Bound on Saturday (thank God for dumb Wal-Marts who put the book out early!). Anyways, I've posted here before, but I removed it all in attempt to start anew. Read and Review please!**

**~Anna~**

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Last Sacrifice

Prologue

I don't want to die. Having been there and done that, I can honestly say it's not an experience I want to relive…well, yeah. Regardless of wanting to die or not, I know for sure that if I were to die, I'd want it to be in some great battle protecting my people, most importantly my best friend Lissa. Not at the hand of an executioner. I should explain.

I, Rosemarie Hathaway, just attended a hearing (my own, if you must know) where I was accused of the bloody murder of the Moroi queen. Don't get me wrong, she and I hadn't been all buddy buddy but I respected her (mostly) and she had in turn stopped treating me as much like shit. I didn't agree with some of what she'd done at first, but after the hearing I'd discovered some pretty hefty intel. More about that later. My point is, I didn't kill Tatiana. I was set up. And honestly, if I were to murder anyone it wouldn't be so sloppily done. I only plunge my stake into the hearts of Strigoi.

Speaking of Strigoi, everything we know about them is changed. My instructor slash former lover, Dimitri Belikov, used to be a Strigoi. Normally that would mean that he is now dead. He's not. My best friend, Vasilisa Dragomir, the possibly last of her family (more about that later) staked him with a spirit infused stake that healed his soul and restored him to his dhampir state. Let's just say that made for an interesting story back at Court. Finally, I think people are realizing that he really is himself (sort of, he's a lot more sulky now). He also practically took on an army for me in the middle of a coffee shop. This makes me think that what he said about love fading and not loving me anymore was a lie.

Not that it matters. I'm stuck in a boring as hell cell until they figure out that I didn't kill the queen. I have no means of escape since they won't let Lissa or Adrian see me. It's a damn shame. Their compulsion would have come in handy here. So I'm forced to sit in a blank cell with only my connection to Lissa and a note from the dead queen.

After the hearing, the queens lover (ew), Ambrose, handed me a letter basically telling me that Lissa wasn't the last of her family and that her dad had fathered an illegitimate child with a mistress. Meaning that there was someone else with enough of the sacred Dragomir blood to carry the name and give the Princess her seat on the Council. Which therefore gave our government a chance to right its sorry ass and treat dhampirs and non royals like people. This would be great, except for the fact I'm in prison and can't tell anyone what I know. And even if I could, chances of finding this other Dragomir were slim to known. Still, I'm known for my response against the odds. This wasn't my end.

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**I know it's short, but really, it's a prologue. More to come as soon as I finish chapter two. ;)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you all so much for the reviews and hits. Very appreciated. For the record, if anyone is interested in Beta-ing this, that would be great. I read over the chapter before I post, but I miss a lot still anyways. **

**Enjoy!**

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Chapter One

I'd only spent 24 hours in my cell an already it felt like days. This was possibly the most miserable I've ever been. Well, no, that wasn't true, but right now it sure felt like it. There was nothing to distract me from my thoughts. The walls were white, the floor was concrete and the ceiling was duller than the walls, as shocking as that seems. I sighed. My only hope was that they would hurry up with this trial and realize it wasn't me.

_Rose? I'm coming to see you._ Lissa's announcement in my head was surprising, but not unwelcomed. My best friend would end this monotony. Lo and behold a few moments later, the sound of foot steps alerted me to my company. I jumped up from my uncomfortable bed. The presence of a guardian disappointed me.

"Hathaway. You have a guest. The Dragomir girl wants to see you. Don't try anything." I thought it was odd that they were suddenly letting her visit, but who was I to argue? I just nodded to the guardian and settled back down on my bed. He walked away and I sighed again. This prison thing really sucks.

While waiting for Lissa, I thought more about all that had happened since my arrest. My unrighteous, unlawful arrest, for the record. My main focus was the note. The queen had implied that Eric Dragomir, Lissa's father had had an affair, producing a child. This child was the key to the success of the Moroi government. He or she had to be found pronto in order to save our society from epic failure. In my mind I tried to think of people it might be, but there was no way to define who it could or could not be. This half-sibling of Lissa's could be royal or non royal or dead for all I knew. I had no idea where to start looking. Not that it mattered much now, but still. Theoretically I would be out of prison soon.

The other thing I thought about was what Abe had said after the hearing. He'd told me that I wouldn't be going to trial, and yet here I was, stuck and waiting for it. I wish he'd come down to visit me and explain just what in the hell he'd meant. I was used to others in my life be blunt and right to the point with me, so his mystical ways were kind of getting on my nerves.

"Rose." I jumped. I'd been so engrossed in my thoughts that I'd missed Lissa's arrival. Which was saying a lot with the bond and all.

"Hey. What's up, free girl?" She gave me a small smile and leaned against the bars that were currently my separation from the rest of the world.

"Wow. How can you joke at a time like this?" I shrugged. Joking was my escape. Something I'd always done to avoid tense situations. "Anyways," She continued, "Abe and I were talking today with Adrian and, well, he thinks he's got a plan." Wait, she was talking to Abe? Abe Mazur, my badass mobster, wayward father? I go to jail and the world falls apart. Damn it.

"What?"

She nodded. "Yup. But I can't talk to you about it here, you know what I mean right." My eyes flicked towards the guardians standing at various protective positions around my cell. And I'm pretty sure they here to protect Lissa from me. Wow were they dumb.

"Gotcha."

_I'll tell you tonight. Stay up. If you don't, then Adrian will have to visit you in your dreams._ I nodded in response.

"Well, I guess I'll see you again when they decide to hold this trial. Don't worry about it though. You didn't do it so they can't convict you. Not unless whoever set up was extremely thorough, which I doubt they were. But still. That's why we have you know who, right? And then I'm sure if we find you really did it then, it just makes you look better. You won't be convicted. I'm just so sure of it." She was rambling now, a sure sign of how nervous she was. Her thoughts confirmed it. Despite Abe's and Adrian's reassurances, she doubted my ability to get out of this one. This was by far my worst mark ever. If I couldn't get out of this, I would die, very literally, and with no chance of coming back this time.

"Bye Liss. I'll be fine." Her smile was small, but then she was smiling through prison bars at me. My smile (if it was there at all) was probably miniscule and hers was enormous comparably. I sighed yet again and settled in for another long, boring day.

I kind of wish I'd been able to really talk to Lissa. She's always said that she wished the bond was two-way, and I've always said that she didn't really want that. But now, I was starting to see her point. If she could talk to me through the bond, it would make sense that if it were both ways, I could speak to her too. We wouldn't have had to revert to code and confusion. It would be much simpler. I didn't really want Lissa in my head, but I could see where it would come in handy.

I slept. I know Lissa had told me not to, but I could only take my boring cell for so long. At first my sleep was dreamless, but before long I felt an Adrian dream coming on. I didn't fight it like I usually did.

"Hey there, little Dhampir."

"Hi Adrian." I tried to put it out of my mind how much guilt I felt being around him. With Dimitri back I felt like it was Mason all over again. "I take it you're here to tell me Abe's plan." He nodded.

"Yes. He only wants us to tell you part of it though. If you know too much, you might give it away to your guards." I scoffed at him.

"Why the hell would I do that? My goal is to get out of this place not ensure more time for myself!" He shrugged.

"Just relaying the message, Rose. Your dad also said that some of it had to be a surprise so you could respond appropriately. Dimitri agreed with that part too." Adrian had already had my attention, but I concentrated a little harder on what he had to say now.

"Yeah? When are you going to share with me this awesome plan that I can't be trusted to know all of?"

"We are going to get the trial moved closer. Closer as in tomorrow closer. You will be asked to state your reasons for killing the queen, most likely, and how you did it. You know as well as any of us that it wasn't you. However, what you don't know is who did murder my dear Aunt. That is something Abe does know." What? Abe knew who killed Tatiana? I found that hard to believe.

"Really? Who?"

"I don't know. He won't tell any of us." Abe was mysterious, that's for sure, but right now I had a feeling that he was bluffing. Majorly.

"Fine. What else?"

"Guardian Tanner will be escorting you tomorrow, along with other Court guardians. You will have to do exactly what Tanner says." Adrian was being really serious, I realized suddenly. Looking closely, I could see pain and misery in his eyes. That was something I usually saw in my own eyes, not his. It was weird, to say the least.

"What's wrong?" He stopped talking abruptly. I must've interrupted him.

"Sorry?"

"I said, what's wrong? You're not you're normal, strange self. I miss it." I hadn't meant to add that last part.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe in the last few days my great-aunt's been murdered, my girlfriend's ex-boyfriend has been not only revived, but has also captured her interest, and my magic has been disappearing." My eyebrows shot up.

"Your magic?" The other reasons could wait until later. His spirit was something that concerned me. It made him who he was. Without it, I knew he'd be miserable, more so than now. Lissa had been when she'd been on the pills, she just had a different way of dealing. I was almost positive that Adrian's means for coping with something this big would rather harmful to his health.

"Yes. It's the reason I've been visiting your dreams less and why they've been staying strictly your imagination." Well, damn. I honestly hadn't even noticed.

"Why?" This was just so shocking. I couldn't fathom a way that it was even possible. And yet, with his sinking moods, it kind of made sense.

"I don't know. It's not a big deal right now. What matters is getting you out of prison and annulled." I frowned nonetheless. If Adrian's magic could fade, that meant Lissa's could too. This was bad. Bad, bad, bad.

"Okay. But when I'm out, we are investigating this." He seemed to find that uplifting, I think, but he still looked pained. "What else do I need to know?" I asked when he didn't speak again.

"Just go with it, really. It's more complex for us rescuers, but since you lucked out and got the coveted rescued position, you really just have to do what you're told." I smiled at him, and tried to encourage his teasing.

"You know, I'm not really good at that whole go with the flow thing. I like the punch first ask questions later tactic." Adrian smiled at me and his green eyes brightened a little. It made my own smile grow.

"I'm aware." I was disappointed with his lack of joking, but instead of continuing what was becoming an awkward conversation, I was saved.

"You're waking up. I'll see you tomorrow." He left my dream and I woke up before I could tell him bye. I tried to force myself back into sleep, not wanting to wake up just yet. It was hard to do.

"Hathaway. Hathaway!" A guardian's sharp voice ruined any chances I might have had for more sleep. I sat up at opened my eyes. It was a man I recognized from before my imprisonment, but I couldn't recall his name for the life of me.

"You're trial is tomorrow. Guardian Tanner will be escorting you." It was all I needed to know to believe that Lissa and Abe could get me free, legally or not. I was excited by the prospect of freedom.

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**Make sure to use that little review button down there. Those of you who did review made me rather happy. :D Chapter Two coming as soon as I get done with Finals this week. **

**Anna**


	3. Chapter 3

**Well, here you go. It's lucky for you that I'm already well into chapter three. You'll understand at the end, I'm sure. And also, I apologize about the length. I even cut some of it out.**

**And again, thank you to those that reviewed. It truly does make me happy and excited to write more.**

**Anna!**

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Chapter Two

When Mikhail arrived at my cell, I was awake. There was no way I couldn't be. I hadn't slept since Adrian's dream, but I hadn't felt the need to either. It would be sure to catch up with me later. However, I couldn't find it in myself to be concerned right now.

"Ready?" Mikhail asked me as the rest of my entourage settled in around us. It was eerily similar to the last time I'd been in trouble, though that seemed miniscule with the weight of this situation pressing on me.

"As I'll ever be." I replied, trying to convey some confidence. I'm not sure whether it looked good or not. It was still worth a try. From the corner of my eye I could see concern in his eyes. Great. Not only was I a wrongly accused Royal traitor, I'd also lost my ability to lie. Apparently Adrian wasn't the only one losing his touch.

The walk to the Court's court room was not a long one, but the silence and stillness of our surroundings made it seem that much longer. Even the weather seemed to understand that today was not a happy day. The setting sun was barely visible behind layers of clouds and depression. When we finally reached the building, I was relieved of my original escorts and they were replaced by a group of the Royal Guard. Abe also met up with me here. I guess he figured he didn't need to make an entrance this time.

Or is he really getting me out of this before it even happens? That hope was dashed when he followed my entourage into the court room.

"Abe! What are you doing?"

"Hathaway. Silence." I ignored the guardian and waited expectantly for my father's answer.

"Wait." I couldn't see his face so I had no idea what he intended to do. Though knowing him, I wouldn't have been able to get much of a read off him anyways. I was frustrated though. The lack of sleep was catching up sooner than I'd counted on. A small growl rose from my throat.

"Hathaway," the guardian warned again. "Don't talk." This time I obliged. Not that it mattered. I'd reached my seat.

Much like with the hearing, I was experiencing déjà vu. I looked out to the audience and saw my friends and enemies staring silently and stiffly at me. At least Lissa and Christian had benefitted from this. The two of them were sitting closely and I was proud of my kind of match making skills, if getting arrested counts as match making. Adrian was sitting with his mother, although she didn't look as supportive of me as she had at the hearing. Probably because I'd turned down her lawyer against her advice. Unfortunately for her, she hadn't known what I knew about Abe, like the fact that he was my dad.

I continued scanning the crowd. It was actually rather large. I spotted my mother sitting with Dimitri and I had a mini heart attack. Near them was Ambrose. His face was very guarded. Maybe he was someone I could trust with the late queen's note. Probably, he'd given me the damn thing after all.

"Rosemarie Hathaway." I brought my eyes to the judge. "You are here accused of the murder of the Queen Tatiana Ivashkov of the Moroi people. Is there any reason that you can give me to tell me I shouldn't have shot right now?" Wow. That was blunt. I know I'd been complaining about the mysteriousness of this plan, but wow. That was brutal. Still, I remembered the part of the plan I'd been allowed to know. _Do what you're told._ So I looked at Abe.

"Your Honor," He began.

"Mr. Mazur, I asked her, not you." Okay then. Abe looked at me again and nodded slightly.

"Uh, well, I didn't do it. But I honestly don't think you'll believe me at this point. Even though you should, since it's the truth and all." I looked out to the audience and saw my mother slap her hand to her forehead. I refused to look at Dimitri until I was out of this.

_Rose, cut the attitude. You could die here._

Lissa's unexpected commentary shocked me. As did the truth of her words.

"Hathaway. Do you have anything else to say?" Her tone implied that she meant words they actually cared to hear.

"I think, Your Honor, that we should continue to presenting evidence." Abe looked at me like I was a genius. Part of me was starting to believe he hadn't had a plan at all.

"Very well." She turned to the other lawyer who was prosecuting me. I immediately hated her.

"First off, it was Rose's stake that we found in the queen's chest. Secondly, Rose has no alibi for the time of the queen's death." The lawyer looked smug enough for a whole room of bitchy lawyers. I wanted to punch her.

"That isn't sufficient." Abe had finally spoken up! Thank God.

"How so?" The lawyer argued.

"How did she get into the queen's chamber? How did she get out? How did the queen's guards not hear the queen struggle? Because, surely, she'd struggle if there was a stake being driven into her chest. Or at least scream for help. And don't say she was asleep. That stake in her chest would wake her up." Abe finished his spiel and sat down, skipping past the smugness.

"Hathaway is a formidable guardian. She could have knocked out the Royal Guard." Someone in the audience snorted. I agreed with them. I was good, but not that good. The only reason we'd had success with Victor was because of Lissa's magic. Hopefully they wouldn't suggest that here.

"May I say something, Your Honor?" It was one of the guardians from the prison. I couldn't recall his name, but I remembered him pitying me in the jail, so I considered him an ally of sorts. It wasn't my safest bet, I'm sure, but when you're on trial for the murder of your society's leader, you take what you can get.

"Yes."

"Guardian Hathaway may have attested to having awesome skills and such, but she is barely out of high school. The Royal Guards have been working together and with the queen for years. The likelihood that she could dispatch them without anyone else noticing is less likely than her and the Dragomir Princess discovering how to restore Strigoi." Oh Jesus. That was a sure way to send a court room to shambles. Bring up the most recent gossip and 'bam!' all progress made is lost. I looked to where my mother was sitting, still sticking to my vow not to look at Dimitri, but she wasn't there. I looked back towards my friends. Lissa in particular was aghast. The others just looked annoyed. I was with them.

"Order!" the Judge yelled. I didn't recognize her as a royal, but she was a beast. Everyone quieted down immediately. "Guardian, that may be true, but as you have mentioned, there was still a chance that Rosemarie could have gotten into the queen's chamber. And if she could have gotten in, getting out would be that much easier. There are a number of both known and secret escapes out of the queen's chamber in the case of an emergency. As a guardian, Hathaway would have known of some of this exits and wouldn't have hesitated to use them."

Okay, this whole trial was wrong. All the evidence they'd been arguing over was theory. None of it was even remotely probable. They were heading toward conviction on the offhand chance that I could have shown up dozens of the best guardians by myself. That was crazy. Not even Dimitri could have done that. Or my mom.

"Your Honor?"

"Mr. Mazur."

"This is not evidence. This is speculation against the accused. Unless you have facts you'd like to share with us," Abe addressed this to the smug Bitch Lawyer, "please keep your theories to yourself until the appropriate time." Score! I had wanted to punch the smugness off her face, but Abe had done it with a carefully worded, mostly polite remark.

"Fine." The lawyer started to pull something out of her brief case. I realized it was a cell phone.

"What are you doing?" The Judge demanded.

"Presenting evidence. However this witness could not be here today due to, um, circumstances." The Judge's eyebrows shot up.

"No. If this witness could not attend, then his or her account will not be used in this court." I was really beginning to like this lady. Well, as much as a person could like the individual who decided whether or not they lived.

"Rose." I stiffened. Abe began to discuss something with the judge, but I turned my attention to whoever had spoken behind me. "Don't say anything unless I tell you to." I recognized my mom's voice and took comfort that she was in on the plan. As of 48 hours ago she hadn't even been in the country, let alone behind me to give me advice.

"Regardless, Mr. Mazur, you have no proof that she didn't do it." Shit. I'd missed his whole speech. Good thing my mother knew what was going on.

"And you have no proof she did."

"More proof than you have been able to produce. It's a shame to execute a promising guardian such as Hathaway, but there is no other evidence to point against her." Well no, there wouldn't be. I'd been set up. Rather well, it would seem.

"Ask the Judge to speak and tell her about the note." What? How the hell did my mom know about that? How did anybody? "Do it."

"Your Honor?" My voice shook, embarrassing me for the first time this whole trial.

"Speak."

"I have proof I didn't do it. Here." I slipped the note out of my pocket. It was lucky I hadn't decided to keep it in my cell, just in case they'd search it while I was gone. A guardian took it from me and handed it to the Judge. I prayed to God and whoever else was listening that she wouldn't read it aloud. I even crossed my fingers and toes. Childish, but whatever I could do to get me through this was reasonable.

The Judge's face was stoic up until the point about Lissa's half-sibling. At least I'd assumed that to be a safe guess judging by the shock written on her face. And honestly, I could understand. Doubling the numbers of a family, no matter how small, was awesome.

"Who gave this to you?"

"Ambrose." I held my breath, and then the Judge spoke.

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**Hehe. I might wait a bit to post three, unless you all review like crazy. Hope you enjoyed!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I think this one's a little shorter, but oh well. I resisted the urge to leave another cliffie for you all, but I can't say it will always be that way. :D Also, I'm extremely sorry about the wait. I know it's shorter than some authors, but I feel that I owe you guys timely additions. In my defense, I had finals all this week and barely made A's in two of my classes, so I apparently needed all the extra study time.**

**This one goes out to my Thiessen, who literally screamed "What the hell?" at me when she finished Spirit Bound. Ich liebe dich!**

**OH! And I need to put a disclaimer out. I am not Richelle, I don't own the characters, just what I'm making them do.**

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Chapter Three

"Very well." The Judge was satisfied. "Guardian Rosemarie Hathaway, you are hereby annulled of these charges against you, as you've produced sufficient evidence in your defense. Court dismissed." I nearly jumped out of my chair, but my mother's hand held me down.

"Wait." I did. And sure enough, the Judge made her way towards me.

"Guardian Hathaway."

"Yes, Your Honor?"

"You must find this child." She understood Lissa's situation and was luckily on her side. I could have danced with relief. Instead, I chose the polite response.

"Of course, Your Honor." The Judge nodded and walked away, but not before handing me the note. I folded it carefully into my pocket. I noticed then that my mother was no longer behind me. I found her talking to Abe and decided to let them be. I could also feel Lissa's excitement at the Judge's decision.

I stood up then. Pretty soon, I was sure I'd be accosted by all sorts of people, but for these few seconds I was free to enjoy my freedom. They were short.

"Rose!" It was a squeal I would recognize anywhere.

"Liss!" I exclaimed, mocking her.

"What did you give the judge?" Oh boy. I'd known I'd have to tell her, but I didn't quite know how yet. It was something I hadn't thought about while in prison.

"A note." She waited expectantly. "From the, um, queen before she died. I can't tell you about here though."

"Why not?" Christian had followed behind her at a slower pace and was now questioning me.

"Because. It's a secret. And if I told you in a public place, your reaction would definitely give it away." She frowned, but it was the truth.

"Not so." I nodded. _Rose! You can't keep things from me!_

"I'm not keeping it from you, I'm just not telling you here." That satisfied her, mostly. _Later. I'll force you, I promise. _I smiled. It wasn't a threat, but an assurance. "It won't be necessary, but whatever makes you happy."

Christian must have realized she was talking to me in my head because he didn't say anything. Or being in love was making him dumb. With him it was hard to tell sometimes.

"Thanks for being honest." I felt the true meaning of her words in my heart. Not too long ago, I'd been running halfway around the world, avoiding her at all costs. Trust was going to be hard between us for awhile, I think.

She and Christian left me then, understanding that a large number of people were waiting to speak with me. I prepared myself to repeat my conversation with Lissa in a much more hostile way. And so began the interrogation by royal after royal after royal.

Hours later, I drug my exhausted body back to my room. It was just as I'd left it three days earlier and even though I hadn't been very attached to it, it felt nice to be back in the free world. I honestly hadn't been expecting as much attention as I'd received. It was strange how much I hated it now. For the longest time, my goal in any group was to always have something funny to say and hold the attention of everyone, especially the men. Since coming back to school almost a year ago, that had changed.

Wow. I'd known Dimitri for almost a year now. _Not like it matters anymore, _I told myself. _He won't even look at you._

I sighed. My weary mind couldn't stand to think about my lover/nonlover. Right then, there was a knock on my door. I prayed to any and all who were listening that Fate wasn't cruel. Upon opening my door, I realized it was beyond cruel.

"I thought you might be here." I stared at my feet to avoid his face. It was bad enough having to hear his voice.

"What do you want?"

"Can I come in?" My screamed no, but my mouth was obviously not connected to my brain, and was only listening to my heart right now.

"Sure." I moved aside against my better judgement and allowed him into my room. I also finally looked at him. It was nothing less than I'd expected. He seemed more gorgeous I think, though, because he and I hadn't really interacted since the night of the attack and the cabin.

"What did that note say?" It was a question I was tired of hearing. I wanted to slap him for asking me in such a pissed off, tired state. Couldn't he have been patient enough to wait for me to sleep and eat?

"Stuff." My grumpy side was kicking in with stubburness.

"Rose."

"Belikov." He stared at me and I glared right back at him. I must be getting better at that, because he looked away after a few moments.

"Why won't you tell me?" I stared at him, openly surprised.

"Do you really wonder that? Really? How 'bout this for an answer: I don't want to tell you." I felt the sudden urge to be wearing a Grumpy shirt, like one with a picture of the dwarf from Snow White on it. I think it would just make my appearance perfect for the moment. Maybe when Lissa and I were off at college, I could go with her and buy one.

"Why not?" Had being a Strigoi messed up his brain?

"It said I was only to tell those whom I could trust." He kept his usual stoic face, but I knew him and knew that hurt in his eyes immediately. My heart cried for him. Luckily my mouth was again connected to my brain, and it didn't say anything. He needed to feel a little of emotional loss. It had always been me losing him, so he deserved a little pain.

"Oh." He composed himself and stood up to leave. "Goodnight Rose." I stood there and watched helplessly as he walked to the door. I felt awful doing this to him, right after he seemed to decide to forgive himself. I almost stopped him.

The next morning I woke up with a major feeling of regret. I'd fought so hard to get him to confide in me, both before and after his time as a Strigoi, and I let him walk away. Even my mind couldn't make sense of that one. I wanted to find him, but I was scared he would be back to his sulky self. What had I said, _This isn't over. I won't give up on you. _Like hell. Apparently I couldn't even keep a promise these days.

Having had enough of my mopey self, I got dressed and headed to one of the coffee shops on this side of Court. I purposely avoided the one I'd been arrested in. When I walked in, I immediately spotted Lissa sitting with Christian, Eddie and Mia. I joined them at their table quietly, but they were all so engrossed in their conversation they didn't notice me.

"It's wrong. No one should be denied their family's position." Mia said passionately.

"I agree." That was from Christian. "You should stand up to them, Liss. It's your spot, rightfully, and them withholding it from you is blasphemy." I wouldn't say that, but he did have a point. It was wrong.

"I don't know guys. It's a legitimate law." Eddie snorted. I chose then to make my presence known.

"It doesn't matter."

"What?" Mia exclaimed. "Are you crazy?"

"Possibly," I consented, "But the law still doesn't matter. I know something that will, um, make the law not necessary."

"What do you mean by that?" Eddie asked me, genuinely curious. I could see that everyone else was too, but I wanted to tell this to Lissa, alone, before we told anyone else.

"Liss, do you wanna have lunch later today?" I got incredulous looks after that. All but Lissa probably thought I was crazy. Luckily, she got it.

"Sure." _Just you and me?_ I nodded.

"Anyways, I'm going to get some food." I stood up and left Christian, Eddie and Mia looking at me like I was dumb.

"What was that about?" I heard Mia ask.

"Nothing." Lissa was a great friend. I reminded myself to tell her that when we met up later. I ordered my bagel and orange juice, finally content after recent events.

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More when I finally get around to writing it, which with summer break occurring as I type this, should be pretty soon.

**Anna.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey all. Nice of you to drop in. There a cookies, sandwiches and drinks over in the corner there. Make yourself at home, go ahead and eat my food. Oh, and if you're interested, here's chapter four. :) Anna.**

**PS Even though I wish I had Dimitri to myself, I am forced to share him with all of you and most importantly, Richelle Mead, the genius behind him. **

Chapter Four

I left my friends and headed back to my room. It was safer that way because even though I was officially innocent, there would still be a lot of people who wouldn't believe it until the real murderer was caught. It also didn't help that my evidence was entirely between the judge and myself, or I hoped it was anyways. If that leaked out before I had a lead on this mystery Dragomir child, things could get bad. Everyone and their mother would be claiming to be Eric Dragomir's son or daughter. Anything to get in good with the princess.

My door was unlocked when I got there, which I found a little surprising, but unlikely considering how out of it I'd been when I'd left this morning. That theory was diminished when I walked in and found Adrian sitting on my couch.

"Jesus! Couldn't you wait until I'm actually here?" It was strange how easy it was for me to treat him like I had before Dimitri turned Strigoi, even though we were technically still dating. I should feel bad for him, but right now I was just pissed that he was in my room.

"No." I put my bag on the floor and spun around, another witty remark at the tip of my tongue. Then I saw his face. Whatever I'd been about to say fell short of my lips and crashed into my ever growing pile of unused sarcasm.

"What happened?" It came back to me slowly. With my troubles, I'd completely forgotten about his magic. And how it was going away.

"Nothing. That's the problem. A week ago I could've healed the paralyzed and now I can hardly heal a scratch. And my dreams are all my own, no matter how hard I try." I bit my lip. Most of the time, I was the one with crazy side effects and strange tendencies. Before that it had been Lissa, someone I'd known my whole life. Adrian was completely different. First off, I was so confused right now about how I felt. Especially since Dimitri was obviously still fighting for me. Secondly, I had no idea how to deal with this. With Lissa, the magic had always been growing and expanding, not fading away. And really, I hadn't had to deal with the magic. It was the consequences of using it.

"Have you told Lissa?"

"Of course not! You think she'd take it well at all?" He was right. If Lissa found out that Adrian's magic was going, she would be nervous that hers would too. I didn't think that one person's problem could mean doom for all Spirit users, unknown and known alike, but if it happened to more than one of them, things could get nasty.

"Besides," he continued. "I could be just me."

"All that drinking catching up to you?" I teased, but immediately regretted it.

"God, I hope not." I realized then that Adrian was seriously concerned about this. He wasn't confident in his powers returning at all.

"I'm sorry." I was still standing across the room from him and it was getting to be extremely awkward. I walked to the couch and sat down next to him, not too close, but close enough to comforting.

"Not your fault."

"Sure it is, everything's my fault. Just ask the royals. I killed their queen, so might as well blame me for everything." He frowned.

"That's not true. You didn't kill her." I shrugged.

"No, but they don't care. Look, I'd love to chat about our problems, but I have to meet Lissa again soon and I have some things to do before that. Do you mind?" He took the hint, but leaned in and kissed me before he left.

I hadn't really had anything to do, but after that talk I decided the first thing I had to do was figure out my feelings.

I love Adrian. He's sweet, nice, and funny. He's good to me. But on the other hand, I'd been in love with Dimitri. There was something so passionate about he and I that I could never dream of feeling with Adrian. Of course, Dimitri and I were hardly in any sort of position to be romantic with one another. We'd both said and done things recently that would take time to figure out.

"Aghhh." I screamed and flopped face first into the pile of pillows at the end of the couch. This situation was eerily like Mason last winter. The thought of my friend saddened me and I hoped that this wouldn't end the same way. If I lost Dimitri again, I would surely lost myself as well. Even Adrian couldn't save me from that. But I knew in my heart that if I lost him, I would devastated, but I would mourn him and move on.

Moving on. It was something I couldn't do with Dimitri. No matter how hard I'd tried, I couldn't not think about him. Having lost him once I already, I knew I couldn't do it again. Even when I'd believed him dead, I was still not entirely aware of what I'd done. Had he waited much longer to contact me, I might've gone comatose.

Once I weighed my feelings a little longer, I finally knew my decision. I needed to find Lissa first though. Thinking had been my first order of business, but talking to her was almost as important. I opened my door and found my best friend standing outside, ready to knock.

"Oh! Hey." I smiled genuinely, not letting her in on the emotional battle I'd just fought.

"Hi. Do you want to have lunch now?" It hadn't been that long since breakfast, had it?

"Um, yeah. Aren't you hungry?" Right on cue, my stomach rumbled.

"Oh, yeah, I guess I am. It's kinda early though, isn't it?" I glanced at my clock. "Oh, I guess not." Either I'd been thinking for a longer time than I thought, or I was just a slow thinker. I hoped it was the former. Slow thinking would get me nowhere in life. Or rather, nowhere quickly.

"Wow. You're a little out of it. Where do you want to go?" She spoke like my being 'out of it' wasn't such a big deal, but I could feel that she wanted to know what had happened to get me to forget my food. Which, let me tell you, is a hard thing to do.

"Wherever. You pick." Now that I was aware of my hunger, I didn't want to do anything until I'd eaten, and that included making decisions about where to eat.

She ended up taking me to a small restaurant that served good old American foods like cheeseburgers and greasy fries. They also had great milkshakes, or so I'd been told. My stomach and I were looking forward to trying them out. After ordering, Lissa talked to me about her and Christian. Part of me believed she was warming me up to spill my heart out, but I didn't believe my best friend to have ulterior motives.

"Well," I said when she finished her story, "I'm glad my arrest was good for something." She grinned. "Not that it wouldn't have happened. You too were so annoying, I was about slam your faces together as it was." We both laughed at that, and I thought about how great it was that we were hanging out again, just us. It reminded me why she was my best friend and why I wanted to protect her so badly. Not that I doubted that ever, but it was still nice to be reminded.

"So. There's a reason you wanted to meet, right?" I nodded. I was about to open my mouth to speak, when the waitress arrived with our food. The carnivore in me spotted my meaty cheeseburger and it became my main focus.

"Thanks." I told the girl. I turned back to Lissa to tell her my story would have to wait until I was done eating, but the waitress started talking.

"Wow, for a guardian, you have a really bad observation skills."

"Wha-? Mia!" I exclaimed looking at her. Lissa just laughed at me. Obviously she'd been paying attention and had probably waved.

"Hey. A bit slow today, are we?" I smiled, knowing her teasing was just that, a joke.

"Even I have off-days, as hard as it is to believe."

"And I bet you could still kick my ass."

"Yup." I was about to tell her she should get back to work, but then I had an idea. "Hey Mia, when do you get off?"

"In fifteen minutes. Why?" I debated with myself for a brief moment. (Ha! I wasn't a slow thinker after all!)

"You should come hang with me and Lissa." She nodded.

"Okay. I'm going to get back to work now, though, so I don't get fired. See you guys in fifteen." Lissa gave me a questioning look.

"What's that about?"

"You guys are questioning me all the time. Just go with it. I think she can help us. However, before I tell you what I know, I need to eat." She nodded and we both dug in. Well, I dug in. She, as usual, was polite and delicate. It was like she treated her food like a visiting royal, minus the actual eating part.

Despite having twice as much food, I finished before her and started on my milkshake. Mia joined us twenty minutes later, after getting a lecture from her boss about slacking.

"So." Lissa began again. "What is it that you need to tell me?"

"Are you sure you want me here?" I nodded to Mia.

"That law, the one the keeps you off the council, is entirely unfair. You know that. A lot of people know that, but what they don't know is it doesn't apply." Mia's eyebrows shot up right away. I think she got what I was saying. Lissa, on the other hand, was confused.

"I don't get it. I don't have any extended family at all. If I did, they'd have the title, not me." I honestly couldn't blame her. No daughter wanted to believe their father had been unfaithful, especially when he wasn't there any longer to defend himself.

"Lissa. Read this." I handed her the note I kept in my pocket at all times. She unfolded it warily then began to read. I watched her eyes as she read line after line, seeing the shock and disbelief increase. She didn't say anything when she finished, she just handed it to me. Mia read it next.

"Holy shit." Her words came out as a whisper. "Who?"

"That would be a useful bit of information, wouldn't it?" Sarcasm was my only response to tough situations like this. Mia looked a little appalled that I'd said that, but my best friend, whom this affected the most, was still and silent. I desperately hoped she would get over her shock and respond.

"Liss?" It was as if saying her name had woken her from her trance.

"Oh my God." Finally! A response! "How did she know?"

"She was the queen for a reason. She knew people and how to read and manipulate them. She probably knew tons of stuff about lots of people." Mia put in before I could answer.

"My dad wouldn't have done that. He loved my mom." It was true. Eric Dragomir and his wife were obviously in love, but I couldn't help but believe the queen, especially hearing what I did about Eric and the dancers in Vegas.

"There's something else you should know. When we were in Vegas and you were looking at flights home, Adrian and I talked to this guy. He said stuff about your dad and how he liked to look at the dancers. And that he sometimes left with them." I waited for another spell of shock. I was pleasantly surprised.

"I never would have guessed." She whispered.

"I know. Me either." Mia looked between us, obviously confused about why she was here. "We need your help, Mia." I told her.

"Yeah? This one better not be too illegal."

"I didn't know research was." She smiled.

"With you it's always illegal." I stuck my tongue out at her in a great show of maturity.

"So what do you think? Where should we start?"

"Do you know how amazing that would be if we could find her?" Lissa interrupted the direction of conversation.

I nodded. "Yeah."

"I wouldn't be the only one. I would be able to make decisions and do things for myself. I wouldn't be alone." I saw something incredible happen before my eyes. Lissa, the one who'd just moments ago been in shock and denial about her father, transformed into a brave young woman. She became the person so many had predicted since she was in grade school. I hadn't realized how different she'd become after the accident, but seeing her now, I realized that this was the girl who'd been my best friend up until then. And I don't think I'd ever been as proud to be her best friend. Even when she'd thrown that amazing punch or staked a Strigoi with only a few days training.

"Ready to start looking, then?" Mia asked.

"Yep. Come on, Liss, it's sibling hunting time." She laughed at my joke and we left the restaurant, headed towards the only viable place to begin a sort-of-missing persons search. The Court Library.

* * *

**So, I'm in the muse mood and since it's summer break, that means no homework to do instead of this story. Hopefully I will be able to spit out a few more chapters by the weekend, but I'll most likely only post chapter five. Peace. Anna.**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Five

If had aspirations to become a stalker, I'm pretty sure I would start with the Court Library. It had everything. Literally. There were newspapers older than anyone in that place.

"You were born in 1992, correct?" Mia asked right when we got there.

"Yes. Do you think this sibling is younger or older?" It was a good question. We'd have to make an educated guess and go with it, because really, there was no way to know.

"I'm voting younger." I said. "But that's just a hunch."

"Younger it is then. So we'll need to look for newspapers dated 1993 and newer." I watched Lissa as she started searching. She was taking charge at something I normally would've led. I was excited to see her confidence grow, even over something as uncommon as our situation was.

Three hours later and only one year of newspapers later, we'd found nothing. My eyeballs felt ready to pop straight out of my head.

"That was exciting." Mia remarked as we made our way out of the library. The Moroi had to leave early enough that they could get food and everything before the sun came. Granted, it wasn't lethal to them, but they still avoided it.

"Very." My mind was too overrun with information to produce more than one word answers at this point. Two syllables was almost too much work.

"I can't believe we didn't find anything." As nervous as she was about this sibling, and believe me, she was nervous, Lissa had honestly believed we would find something today. I don't think I'd been that optimistic. If we found anything that sounded remotely like a Dragomir child by the end of the week, I'd be shocked.

"We're gonna keep looking. Don't sweat it." Mia said through a yawn. "Wow. Who knew the library could be so exhausting. Well, I'll see you guys later. Maybe we'll meet up again in a few days to try the library again. For now, I think we should stick to the internet."

"Good idea. See you then, Mia." She waved as she walked to the town house she and her father lived in. I continued walking with Lissa until we reached her suite.

"You sure okay with all this?" I asked her just before she shut the door. I couldn't help but worry about her, even though I was getting complete acceptance through the bond. It was just such an unexpected response from her, that I couldn't help questioning it.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean this whole half-sibling thing. Is it really that easy for you to accept?" She looked me in the eye, the passion for this search overpowering the bond.

"Yes. You don't understand, really, I don't think, what it was like to lose Andre. If I could have a chance at bonding that way with another person, I'm going to take it. And the fact that this person will have enough Dragomir blood to be my family makes it that much better. I can almost forget what my father must've done to make things like this."

Ah, but there was that almost in there. Some part of her would always wonder why she and her brother and mother hadn't been enough for her father. But that part had also accepted that she would never know. I could see that when I looked into the bond. She truly did want a half-sibling. Or rather, she didn't want to be the only Dragomir any longer. If a half-sibling got her that, she was all for it.

"Just, if you get all angsty or anything, tell me. I don't want you beating yourself up over this. This is meant to be a good thing." She hugged me.

"You worry way too much about me."

"It's my job."

"No. Your job will be to protect me. Worrying about me is something a friend does." I rolled my eyes.

"Fine. It's my obligation and duty to worry about you. Especially when you go off without me and stake pillows." I could tell she was trying to hide something to moment she glanced away from my gaze. I didn't even need the bond to clue me in. "What? Tell me."

"I haven't stopped learning how. Not how to stake things, I mean. I never ever want to do that again. But I didn't stop learning how to fight. I don't want you to have to do all the work protecting me. I'll take some of the weight off your shoulders." Her smile was confident. Maybe she should go back to being nervous. I didn't think I could handle her learning to fight alongside me. It had always been me protecting her. This was against everything I'd been raised to believe. _They come first _was not supposed to mean letting them give their lives up with us.

"Great, Liss. Great." I hoped she didn't notice the uncertainty in my voice. I didn't want to discourage the confidence, but this might be taking it too far.

"Yeah, so I'll see you tomorrow then?"

I nodded.

"Just let me know when."

She shut her door and left me to make my own way back to my room. It wasn't a long walk, but it was long enough that I had time to truly ponder Lissa fighting. I wasn't even halfway to my room when I decided that it was a bad idea. Moroi could use magic to fight, but only behind the walls of guardian protection. Besides her magic was better for after battles than during them.

I reached my door and unlocked it, finding, for the second time today, an unwelcome guest on my couch.

"Roza." I ignored the voice, and moved about my room as if Dimitri Belikov was not sitting on my couch. It wasn't easy. "Rose."

"Leave." I spoke forcefully, but I turned towards him despite my attempts to ignore him. That was a mistake. I tried to look away from him, but it was like watching a car wreck. Once you start watching, you just can't take your eyes away. Unfortunately for my willpower he was a hell of a lot hotter than an accident.

"No. Not until you tell me why you spent the whole afternoon in the library." Jesus, he hadn't stopped stalking me?

"I was under the impression that since you are now back among the living, the stalking would have stopped. I guess I doubted your ability to recover." As I said the words, I wished I hadn't. The sadness in his eyes almost killed me. He stared at me for a few silent moments before he stood up.

"Sorry." I muttered quickly. My will to try and fight Dimitri had completely diminished and I couldn't stand to watch him walk away again.

He stopped and turned to face me. "Will you tell me?"

"Yeah." I sat down on my couch and he sat down next to me. His presence was distracting. That aside, it was a lot more comfortable than it had been with Adrian. The thought of him reminded me of all his problems, the problems we have with one another and of course the reason I was actually here. Emboldened, I spilled everything that had happened. I ended my story with Lissa's dream to fight. I couldn't take that and he thought he'd understand.

"Well, if she wants to learn to fight, let her." I stared at him.

"Are you serious? She'll kill herself. Then everyone will blame me for letting the last Dragomir kill herself."

"I thought you just said she had a half-sibling?"

"Yeah, but we don't even know if the kid's still alive, let alone willing to become part of royal society." Now that I thought about it, chances were this kid had been treated like a non-royal her whole life when her blood was more valuable than any royal who mocked her.

"I don't think the child will have much of a choice," Dimitri mused. "The council will be extremely nosy and pushy about him or her." I didn't have a response to that. If someone found this long lost Dragomir before Lissa and I, we were screwed. She'd be in more trouble than me, though. She'd lose a lot of her status around here. I'd just lose any slim chance I'd had to guard her.

"Are you okay?" Dimitri asked. He seemed to have forgotten that not so long ago I'd hated him and not very long before that, he'd hated me.

"Yeah."

"No, you're not. Don't lie."

"I wasn't lying. I'm seriously okay." That might've laying it on a little thick. I just needed time to think about things in general and I felt like I was being pressured all of a sudden.

"You're stressed. And I'd bet anything that Lissa's been practicing her magic a lot recently, hasn't she?" I shrugged, even though he was right on the money. I could feel the darkness taking the form of immense sadness and worry. Everything Liss was probably feeling about her new sibling was flowing straight from into me so fast that she hardly even felt it. The explained why she was so cool with the whole situation.

"Rose, you need to let people help you." This conversation was an old one between us. It usually ended with me using my Rose-logic against him, but I just didn't feel up to being me right now.

"I need to sleep, that's what I need."

"I'm not going to let you until you get some help. Whatever Lissa's feelings are, they have been affecting you, Rose, and you need to be able to think for yourself without distractions." God damn him for being so perfect.

"Are you sending me to a shrink? I don't think they can do anything for me. I'm a little too far gone." At that point, I think I realized just how exhausted the library made me. I sort of leaned towards Dimitri without understanding exactly what I was doing. The next thing I knew, I was being lifted gently. I didn't really like being helpless like that, but my mind was too tired to protest. Before long I was peacefully asleep in my bed.

The next morning, I woke up with a clear head. Everything I'd been worried and stressing over yesterday had disappeared for seven hours of undisturbed bliss. Maybe library exhaustion was what I needed these days.

_Rose? Are you up yet? I think I found something useful. _Nothing could have gotten me moving quicker than that one statement did. Something useful meant a real chance at finding the child, which meant less worrying by me, which in turn equals a happier me. It was a good deal.

Lissa opened the door right as I got there. I swear it was like she could read my mind, not the other way around.

"You were thundering like a herd of cattle. How did you pass any stealth tests in school?" She laughed as she ushered me through the door. She had her lap top sitting on the floor and it was open to the internet, specifically the Witching Hour's website.

"What's this?"

"This," she presented proudly, "Is the list of dancers who have ever worked at the Witching Hour. Technically, this isn't public access, but…"

"But what?" How on earth did she get access to private Witching Hour information?

"I had some help. And some lucky guesses."

"Whatever, doesn't matter how you did it. Let's start investigating."

In just an hour, we'd eliminated half the list because of timeliness. The other half we decided to conquer tomorrow. I almost made her print it out so we could have hard copy, but decided it would be a little strange to carry around a list of show girls' names and contact information.

After leaving Lissa's I wondered around and eventually found myself in a courtyard by the Dhampir Headquarters. Ironically I was sitting on what I knew to be a very heavy stone bench. Laughing at myself, I people watched for awhile and spotted Hans making his way towards me.

"Rose. It's nice to see you out of jail."

"It's nice to be out." Especially when you were innocent the whole time, I didn't add.

"I was wondering how you felt about helping me lead a team or two next week." I furrowed my brow, wondering what could possibly be next week.

"We're investigating the Queen's murder. It'll be three or four day thing. You'll have to be available the whole time." I nodded. Honestly, I was a little excited that he'd asked me.

"Sure. I'd be happy to do that." Not to mention, it would probably make me look better. There were still a ton of people who believed I'd staked her Majesty the Queen.

"That's great. I really appreciate it, too. You're a great asset to the organization here. I'll send more information to your room within the next couple of days." He waved his farewell while I sat on my personal bench, grinning. It was great to be finally accepted here.


End file.
